Indian Navy gets INS Vikrant
Why
is it in news?
Taking another step
forward towards self-reliance in the defense sector, India today commissioned
the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1) 'INS Vikrant'. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 'INS Vikrant' to the country's Navy at the Cochin
Shipyard. It was a proud moment for the country as it has been made completely
indigenously. It is a very special example of India's self-reliant resolve and
Make in India movement.
Introduction
• INS Vikrant is
India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier. It is named
after its predecessor and India's first aircraft carrier. Who played an
important role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
• The design of INS
Vikrant has been prepared by the Warship Design Bureau, a defense undertaking
of the Indian Navy.
• It is manufactured by
Cochin Shipyard Limited.
• INS Vikrant is
equipped with state-of-the-art automatic features and is the largest ever built
ship in India's maritime history.
• Vikrant has been
built at a cost of about Rs 20,000 crore.
• Flight trials from
INS Vikrant are scheduled to begin by November and are expected to be fully
operational by mid 2023.
Highlights
• India has got the
first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1) in the form of INS Vikrant, which
will protect the country as a 'Blue Water Navy'.
• This is an
unprecedented achievement in India's defense sector, which will further
strengthen the country's water border defense as a sea guard. Also, it is the
largest warship ever built in the history of the Indian Navy. With this, India
now has two aircraft carriers. Till now India had only Russian-origin Kyiv
class INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier.
• With the
commissioning of INS Vikrant, India has joined the exclusive club of nations
with the capability to design and build aircraft carriers along with the US,
Russia, France, UK and China.
• This achievement is
also an indicator of India's world-class reach in the defense sector. At the same
time, this achievement of India in defense self-reliance has increased the
value of India on the world stage. INS Vikrant is the seventh largest aircraft
carrier class in the world.
• It took almost 17
years to design and build INS Vikrant. Less on this aircraft carrier began in
April 2005 with formal steel cutting. After this, in February 2009, the work of
its keel was completed.
• INS Vikrant was
launched on 12 August 2013 and by that time, 80% of its structure had been
completed. It was completed its next phase outfitting at the Ernakulam channel.
And later on 10 June 2015, the IAC was undocked.
Finally, INS Vikrant,
the largest ship ever in the maritime history of India, has been launched on 2
September 2022.
Importance
• INS Vikrant is 262
meters long and 62 meters wide, its flight deck is equal to two big football
fields.
• Can travel 7,500
nautical miles or about 14,000 km in one go with a maximum design speed of 28
nautical miles.
• The aircraft carrier
can carry a load of about 4,3000 tonnes when fully loaded.
• It has an air component
of 30 aircraft, in which helicopters like MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 and
MH-60R can be docked.
• The approximately
18-storey high ship has about 2,400 rooms, which are designed for 1,600 crew.
• INS Vikrant also has
a 16-bed hospital, which includes a modular emergency operation theater,
physiotherapy clinic, etc. in the medical complex.
• Steel Authority of
India Limited (SAIL) has contributed significantly in the construction of INS
Vikrant. SAIL ad supplied about 30000 tonnes of steel with DMR grade specialty.
With this effort, SAIL has made an important contribution in the making of
'Self-reliant India'.
Cabinet nod to Tejas 2.0 mega project
Why is it in news?
• After the immense
success of Tejas-1, the Tejas 2.0 mega project has got the approval of the
government. The Central Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime
Minister or the Central Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the Tejas
Mark-II project.
• The committee has
approved Rs 6500 crore for the design and development of Tejas Mark-2 fighter
jet with prototype, flight test and certification. The sanction of 6500 crores
is in addition to the existing 2500 crores sanctioned to HAL.
• Tejas 2.0 will be an
advanced version of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). After the
completion of Tejas Mark-II, CCS also plans to approve the development of the
mega project of manufacturing the ambitious fifth generation stealth fighter
aircraft. Which will further strengthen the Make in India movement of India.
Highlights
• India is mainly
looking at Tejas MK-2 as an alternative to different types of aircraft like
MiG-29, Mirage-200, Jaguar. Tejas-2.0 will be an advanced 4.5++ generation
aircraft that will match the capability of Rafale in many respects.
• It will also be
inspired by the world's most advanced aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor with an
indium oxide layer. Which will meet the defense needs of India.
• This project is being
considered very important amidst increasing tension on the border with China.
Tejas 2.0 will give a new strength to the Indian Air Force.
• Tejas 2.0 will be
introduced with several additional changes in flight and combat capabilities.
Tejas 2.0 will be equipped with a powerful GE-414 engine of 98 kilonewton
thrust class, which will increase its flight range. Tejas 2.0 will have
additional payload and weapon carrying capacity compared to the current
version.
• The payload capacity
of Tejas Mark-2 jet will be 4 tonnes as compared to 3 tonnes of the current
version. In addition, the new jet will also be equipped with an indigenously
developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which will be more
capable than the existing AESA EL/M-2032 multi-mode radar.
• According to the
project plan of Tejas, the first flight of Tejas 2.0 is expected in the year
2023. While its production is predicted in 2025.
• However, considering
the current scenario, there may be further delays due to the COVID-19
situation. Dependence on the private sector for some parts of it creates some
doubts, but the involvement of HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) being the
assembler and manufacturer of only some parts reduces the chances of delay.
• Along with approving
Tejas Mark-2 project, CCS has also focused on another mega project for
development of advanced medium combat aircraft.
• Under this, a fighter
jet with stealth features as well as 'super cruise' capabilities will be
developed for which an approval of Rs 15000 crore is expected.
Four startups from Telangana AI Mission to represent India in 'G20 Digital Innovation Network'
Why
is it
in news?
Telangana AI Mission
(T-AIM) has announced that four startups from Telangana AI Mission have been
selected by MeitY to represent India in the G20 Digital Innovation Network
(DIN).
T-AIM is a state
government initiative supported by NASSCOM. The four startups representing
India in the G20 Digital Innovation Network are Aarficus, EduBooks, Unimart and
MayaMD and all supported by the Revv Up program of the Telangana government.
Introduction
• Telangana AI Mission
(T-AIM) Mission is an AI mission run by the Government of Telangana, which is
operated by NASSCOM.
• Rev Up is a
free-of-equity-or-cost acceleration program by T-AIM specifically designed for
early stage AI startups.
Highlights
• The G20 Digital
Innovation Network event will be held from September 2-4 at the Bali International
Convention Center, Bali, Indonesia. Startups based on Artificial Intelligence
(AI) are participating in this program.
• These startups
participating in the program have been receiving mentorship and knowledge
sessions from industry experts, global reach, and the technology and resources
to build scalable businesses.
• The forum aims to
find 100 most promising startups in 5 priority areas (Healthcare, Renewable
Energy, Smart Society, Financial Inclusion and Supply Chain).
• The theme of this
year's event is 'The Rise of Digital Economy: Post-Pandemic Recovery and
Beyond'.
• It is worth
mentioning that this forum was started by Italy in the year 2021 by selecting
the ten best startups in the name of G20 Digital Innovation League: ACT Blade,
Biomicrogels Group, Dott, Ntechlab, Nalagenetics, Poka, Ruangguru, Sansure,
Virtuo, and Zerynth . However, this year its name has been changed to G20
Digital Innovation Network.
Vertical Launch Missile (VL-SRSAM) Successfully Tested
Why
is it in news?
The Defense Research
and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have successfully
test-fired the Surface-to-Air Short Range Vertical Launch Missile (VL-SRSAM).
It has been tested from the Integrated Test Range off the Chandipur coast of
Odisha. This missile has been manufactured and developed by DRDO. This missile
has been tested from a ship of the Indian Navy. The missile hit a high-speed
unmanned aerial target to test its vertical launch capability.
Introduction
•
Vertical Launch - Short Range Surface to Air Missile System (VL-SRSAM) has been
developed as a quick response surface-to-air missile for the Indian Navy.
•
The missile is specially designed by DRDO using 4 short-span long-chord
cruciform wings which provide aerodynamic stability. The VL-SRSAM missile
system has a range of about 15 km to hit targets in a range of 40 to 50 km
•
This missile can be used to neutralize various air threats at medium and short
range. These missiles are also capable of intercepting sea-skimming fighter
jets and missiles that are used to evade detection by radar.
•
The new missile system is being developed to replace the existing Barak 1
surface-to-air missile system which is being used by the Indian Navy on naval
ships.
Highlights
•
This missile is equipped with indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker which can
hit the target with high accuracy.
•
This missile can be launched vertically from surface to air.
•
It is capable of hitting various celestial targets even during the fluctuations
of sea waves.
•
These missiles are also capable of stopping the attacks of fighter jets and
missiles.
About DRDO:
•
DRDO is the R&D wing of the Ministry of Defense, Government of India, it
was established in the year 1958. It was established by merging three major
defense organizations which are as follows:
•
Defense Science Organization (DSO)
•
Defense Technical Development Establishment (DTDE)
•
Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP)
•
DRDO is currently a conglomerate of more than 50 laboratories working in various
areas of Defense Technology such as Combat Vehicles, Weapons, Engineering
Systems, Computing and Simulation, Life Science, Training, Aeronautical and
Information Systems etc. The headquarter of DRDO is in New Delhi. Presently its
chairman is Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy.